“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) KJV

Restoring the Fullness of Joy

“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” (1John 1:4)

How do we restore our access to the fullness of joy that is in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ?

The first step is to make sure that we are dwelling in the manifested presence of God.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

Jesus said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5)

However, He also said that two cannot walk together unless they are agreed.

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)

We must determine in our hearts to live our lives in agreement with the will and Word of God.

Once we have made the decision to remove from our lives all of the things that we know are displeasing to the Lord and we begin taking the necessary steps to do it, then we can trust that the Lord will begin to manifest His presence in our lives.

Since the Bible says that Jesus is the Word of God, then if we continue in His word we will also continue in the presence of God.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” (John 8:31)

When we ask the Lord daily to fill us with His Spirit, to be filled with the Holy Ghost, then we are opening the door to the manifested presence of God.

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” (Eph. 5:18)

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

If we will draw close to God then He has promised that He will draw close to us.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6)

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4)

The Bible teaches us that all of these things open the door to the manifested presence of God, and the manifested presence of God is where we will find the fullness of His joy.

The Bible tells us that the righteousness of God also brings joy.

“He shall pray unto God, and he will be favorable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.” (Job 33:26)

The Word of God tells us that we have no righteousness of our own, but that when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God transfers His righteousness unto us.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isa. 64:6)

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Cor. 5:21)

To understand this and really believe it can also release the fullness of joy in our lives.

To really believe that no matter what mistakes or bad decisions we make can change the fact that we are righteous in the eyes of God, and that nothing we could ever do can stop God from loving us should make us realize that we are always in the presence of God and able to have fullness of joy.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35)

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom. 8:37)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)

When we genuinely believe that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ and that nothing can separate us from the love of God, then we can be secure in the fact that God will do whatever is necessary to keep us, protect us, and provide for us.

“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” (Deu. 4:24)

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)

This also includes His correcting us when we err and begin walking a path that leads away from Him.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:6)

He chastens us with His Word and scourges us with the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. It is only because He loves us so that He goes to such great lengths to keep us from departing from His presence.

This security we have in His love and righteousness also provides for the fullness of His joy.

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” (Psalm 5:11)

“To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” (Psalm 21:1)

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (Isa. 12:3)

Tomorrow- Obedience and the Joy of the Lord

“How to Walk in the Joy of the Lord” by Raymond Candy available for $2.99 at bn.com for the Nook, amazon.com for the Kindle, and Lulu.com for the iPad, PC, and all other e-reading devices